• 19.05.2025 - 16:57

Cappadocia’s enchanting landscape of weathered mountains, ancient cave dwellings and “fairy chimneys” provided the perfect setting for a vibrant celebration of Sri Lankan culture on 17 May 2025.

The event, held at The Kingdom of Cappadocia Luxury Cave Hotel and organized by the Honorary Consul for Sri Lanka in Nevşehir, Mahmut Sami Uluer and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Türkiye showcased the rich traditions and enduring hospitality of our island nation in the heart of Türkiye’s premier tourism region.

Distinguished guests, including local political leaders, academics, business figures, and cultural enthusiasts, came together for an afternoon of meaningful cultural exchange and friendship held on the balconies of the newly opened Kingdom of Cappadocia Luxury Cave Hotel, which provided a grand backdrop of the unique landscape of Cappadocia.

 The programme featured a series of captivating performances by Sri Lankan medical students at Tbilisi State Medical University, Vishmi Manage and Uparna Heenatigala, who travelled all the way from Georgia to perform traditional Kandyan and folk dances. Their graceful renditions added vivid colour and rhythm to the day, earning much accolades from the audience. The event was compered by Aysha Maryam Cassim, a Sri Lanka doctoral student at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara.

Amidst strong winds, the symbolic oil lamp lighting was done inaugurating the festivities with Turkish and Sri Lankan dignitaries, invoking blessings and prosperity, in line with Sri Lankan tradition, a custom that always mesmerizes Turkish public.

Guests were also treated to an array of Sri Lankan and Turkish refreshments, offering a sensory experience of the island’s culinary warmth amidst the mystical Anatolian setting.

Honorary Consul Mahmut Uluer, a pioneering figure in Türkiye’s hot-air ballooning industry and the largest Turkish investor in Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, played a central role in curating the event.

In his remarks, he drew symbolic parallels between Uchisar Castle, which is on the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage List and Sri Lanka’s Sigiriya Rock Fortress—A UNESCO World Heritage Site as well - highlighting the shared historical and cultural richness that binds the two nations.

Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Türkiye, emphasized the importance of cultural diplomacy in strengthening bilateral relations. She noted that Cappadocia was not only a symbolic choice but a strategic one, given its global visibility and rich cultural setting. By bringing Sri Lankan culture to such a renowned Turkish destination, the event powerfully projected Sri Lanka’s heritage on the Turkish stage.

The occasion was widely appreciated as a successful model of people-to-people diplomacy - deepening the friendship between Sri Lanka and Türkiye through shared traditions, mutual respect, and enduring goodwill.